The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7214 p314
7 September 2002

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Bacteriophage enzyme that detects and destroys Bacillus anthrax found

A bacteriophage enzyme, PlyG lysin, that detects and destroys Bacillus anthracis has been identified, researchers report in Nature this week. They have demonstrated its potent lytic effect on B anthracis and other members of the B anthracis cluster of bacilli in vitro and in vivo.

Raymond Schuch, Rockefeller University, New York, and colleagues conclude: "Our findings encourage the continued development of PlyG as a means to prevent or treat anthrax and as a tool to detect vegetative or spore forms of B anthracis." They add that their inability to detect resistance to PlyG suggests that the lysin's peptido- glycan catalytic target and carbohydrate- binding sites cannot be easily modified by the bacillus to prevent lysis action (2002; 418:884).

In an accompanying article, Dr Stephen Leppla and Dr M. J. Rosovitz, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, comment: "There is still much to be done to develop PlyG into an effective drug. For example, it would probably need to be administered intravenously in a formulation that would give adequate concentrations in the blood ... .Nonetheless, Schuch et al have introduced a potential treatment for anthrax that might be useful either alone or in combination with other therapies."

They add that, as a test, PlyG could be used as a rapid first indicator of contamination with B anthracis (ibid, p826).